Apparatus for divot repair

ABSTRACT

A divot repair device for transporting a mixture of fill material and dispensing the fill material into divots in order to fill and thereby fix the divots by promoting turf growth in the location of the divots, including a hopper for carrying a predetermined mixture of fill material, the hopper having an inlet and an outlet; a wheeled carrier connected to the hopper for transporting the hopper by an individual across an area from one divot location to a second divot location; a dispensing valve connected to the hopper for selectively dispensing the fill material; and a smoother connected to the hopper.

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/630, 182, filed Aug.01, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,268.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to transportable divot repairdevices and, more particularly, to a device that is readilytransportable by an individual to various locations having divotscreated in turf grass and that selectively dispenses a premixed fillmixture into the divots to assist in the repair of the divots.

Divots are formed as gouges in turf and, in many instances, will not berepaired by the natural growth of the turf. Instead, some interventionis necessary to assist the turf in repairing the destroyed area. Onewidely used solution is to fill the divot with a mixture of, typically,sand and seed to allow for new turf growth in the affected area.Alternatively, divots are filled with top dressing or sand. The fillmixture can vary depending on the requirements of turf, season andpersonal preference. Filling of divots is desirable on, for example,golf courses so that the turf will grow into the area of the divot. Itis also desirable that the fill mixture be approximately level with thesurrounding ground so that, in the typical golf course application, golfballs do not come to rest in the depression or roll off a mound of fillmaterial.

At most golf courses, golf carts are equipped with a container filledwith a seed and sand mixture, or a dressing, and it is recommended thatthe individual golfer spread the seed and sand mixture in the divotcreated by most golf swings. Such a method is not reliable. In mostinstances, golf courses are forced to fill the divots that remainunfilled by the individual golfers.

Typically, groundskeepers have manual laborers fill divots manually.Typically this is done in the morning before the golf course opens forplay. With this manual method, laborers are dispatched around the golfcourse with buckets or other devices containing the fill mixture. Thelaborers walk from divot to divot and dispense the mixture into eachdivot with an implement such as a small cup or trowel. The laborer istypically forced to continually stand and bend over in order to ensureeffective filling of the divot. The laborer also must carry the fillmixture, and return to refill his supply of fill mixture. Because of thetime required in such a method, laborers cannot be dispatched to allareas where divots need to be repaired, but instead concentrate oncertain areas, typically tee box areas. Areas in fairways are nottypically maintained in as good condition. In any event, the manualmethod is time consuming and labor intensive.

Certain devices have been contemplated in solving this time consuming,and thereby expensive, process. The previous devices have not adequatelyaddressed all of the variables of this problem. For example, it must berecognized by any solution that divots have a variety of depths and varyin size (width and length). The amount of fill mixture cannot thereforebe predetermined for every divot. Each divot requires a differing amountof fill mixture that can only be determined upon visual inspection ofthe size and shape of the divot. Any dispenser must be movable to allowfill material to be spread throughout the area of the divot.Additionally, divot repair must be done so that the fill material istamped down into the divot and leveled off with the surrounding area soas to keep the ground level.

The invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,570 appears to dispense afill mixture into a divot using a spring loaded rod that is pressed intothe divot. The seed mixture is dispensed from a tubular housing but thespring loaded rod end may prevent the divot from becoming filled fully,and may cause additional damage to the turf from the pogo-stick actionrequired to dispense the fill material. Australian Patent Application13086/88 relates to a sand hopper that is designed for attachment to agolf cart. The sand hopper remains on the golf cart and, after the golfcart is driven to a position to place the hopper over the divot, thehopper is foot-operated to dispense a predetermined amount of fillmixture. The amount of fill mixture cannot be varied according to thedepth of the divot, and the fill mixture cannot be spread over a greateror smaller area according to the size of the divot.

Thus, there remains a need for a new and improved divot repair devicethat is not affixed to a golf cart but readily transportable by anindividual over a rather expansive area while still carrying a largesupply of fill material. Preferably, the device will allow the operatorto selectively dispense different amounts of fill mixture into divots asrequired and also be movable while dispensing the mixture so that theoperator can fill the entire divot regardless of size. Further, thedevice preferably provides for a means to smooth the fill mixture oncelocated in the divot without additional effort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention fulfills this need in the art by providing a divotrepair tool for repairing divots on golf courses including a carriagefor movement over the golf course ground from one divot to another by auser, and a hopper mounted on the carriage for holding a divot repairmixture, the hopper having an outlet near the ground arranged forselective, controlled dispensing of divot repair mixture from the hopperto fill a divot near the divot repair tool. The divot repair tool may bemoved by a user from one divot to another, and divot repair mixture maybe controllably dispensed from the hopper to a divot to be repaired.Then, the divot repair tool may be moved to another divot on the golfcourse for controlled dispensing of divot repair mixture to the otherdivot.

In one embodiment the divot repair device includes a hopper for carryinga predetermined mixture of fill material, the hopper adapted to betransported by an individual across an area from a first divot locationto a second divot location, a valve assembly connected to the hopper forselectively dispensing the fill material; and a dispenser exit for thehopper located above the divot locations when the hopper is transportedadjacent the divot locations. This permits the hopper to be transportedto a divot, the valve assembly to be actuated to open the dispenserexit, and dispense fill material into a divot to be repaired.

The apparatus preferably includes a smoother connected to the hopper insuch a manner that the smoother contacts the fill mixture after the fillmixture is dispensed. The smoother may take the form of a blade memberhaving a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade member typicallyincludes a bottom surface, and the leading edge is curved upwardly fromthe bottom surface. The trailing edge is preferably curved upwardly fromthe bottom surface. In a preferred embodiment, the smoother is pivotablyconnected to the hopper. Desirably, stop pins on the smoother arelocated to restrict pivotable movement of the smoother in the downwarddirection.

The adaptation of the hopper for transport by an individual may take theform of a wheeled carrier connected to the hopper. The wheeled carrierpreferably includes first and second wheels connected on opposite sidesof the hopper and a handle connected to the hopper. Typically, theoutlet is located at the lower end of the hopper. The hopper may includea removable cover for the inlet.

The dispensing valve may take the form of a gate valve which can beselectively opened and closed. Typically, the gate valve is selectivelyopened by hand operation. A trigger may be located on the wheeledcarrier and a cable connecting the trigger to the gate valve. Thedispensing valve typically includes an exit port located immediatelyadjacent to the divot location.

The invention also provides a method for filling divots that have beencreated in turf grass, including moving a hopper over the groundimmediately adjacent a divot; and dispensing an amount of fill mixtureinto the divot from the hopper.

The method preferably includes smoothing and compacting the fill mixturelocated within the divot by movement of the hopper. Dispensingpreferably includes selectively controlling a trigger to selectivelyopen a valve to release a variable amount of fill mixture from thehopper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the divot repair apparatusconstructed according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged rear perspective view of the lower part of thedivot repair apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a different perspective view of the rear portion of the lowerpart of the divot repair shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the lower portion of the device shown in FIG.1, with kickstand added; and

FIG. 5 is an elevation view of a divot repair apparatus according to asecond embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, like reference characters designate likeor corresponding parts throughout the several views. Also in thefollowing description, it is to be understood that such terms as“forward,” “rearward,” “left,” “right,” “upwardly,” “downwardly,” andthe like are words of convenience and are not to be construed aslimiting terms.

Referring now to the drawings in general and FIG. 1 in particular, itwill be understood that the illustrations are for the purpose ofdescribing a preferred embodiment of the invention and are not intendedto limit the invention thereto. As best seen in FIG. 1, a divot repairapparatus, generally designated 10, is shown constructed according tothe present invention. The divot repair apparatus 10 has two majorsubparts: a hopper 12 and a valve assembly 14.

The hopper 12 is adapted to be transported by an individual. As can beseen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hopper 12 has an inlet 20 and an outlet 22.In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, the valveassembly 14 is connected to outlet 22. The valve assembly 14 isconstructed so as to open and close based on selective operation by anindividual. The valve assembly 14 is constructed so that the fillmixture exits in close proximity to the ground onto which it is to bedispensed. In this embodiment, the hopper 12 is mounted on a carriagesuch as first and second wheels 26 and 27 and has a handle 30. In apreferred embodiment, a trigger 40 is located on the handle 30, and thetrigger selectively opens and closes the valve assembly 14.

A smoother 16 has a blade 42 and a mounting means 44. The smoother 16performs the function of leveling and compacting the fill mixture thatis dispensed from the hopper 12. The smoother is attached to the hopper12 by mount 44. The mount 44 may be any mechanical connection butpreferably a pivotable connection. As seen in FIG. 2, the mount 44includes two arms 43 extending forwardly from the blade 42 to the pivotconnection to the bottom of the hopper. If the smoother 16 is pivotablyconnected to the hopper, the smoother 16 is preferably provided withstop pins or ears that extend inwardly from the arm 43 to abutprotrusions from the hopper. The stop pins 52 stop the smoother 16 frompivoting downwardly past a predetermined location. In a preferredembodiment, smoother 16 is connected to the rear of the divot repairdevice so that forward motion of the apparatus 10 drags the smootherover the fill mixture that has been dispensed into the divot. The stoppins 52 allow the operator to transport the divot repair device with thesmoother 16 off of the ground when not in operation, by rotating thedevice 10 as depicted in FIG. 1 in the clockwise direction.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a detail view of the smoother 16constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. The smoother 16 preferably has a curved leading edge 46 and acurved trailing edge 50.

The valve assembly 14 is shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the valveassembly 14 includes a valve plate 36 which covers an outlet 22. Thevalve assembly 14 is constructed so as to allow the operator toselectively open and close the valve plate 36 during operation. Thevalve assembly 14 may be constructed so that the valve plate 36 isselectively opened and closed by a trigger 40. In the preferredembodiment, the trigger 40 is hand operated and may include a levermounted to the carriage. The trigger 40 may be attached to a cable 38that opens the valve plate 36 in opposition to a spring 37 that acts toclose the valve plate 36. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, cable 38passes downwardly past turnbuckle 39 and attaches to lever 41 to whichvalve plate 36 is attached. Lever 41 is pivotally mounted at pin 43 ontoa boss 45 extending rearwardly from the hopper 12. While a cableoperated valve actuator is disclosed, it will be apparent to those ofskill in the art that other means, including electronic means and othermechanical means, can be utilized to open and close the valve plate 36.

In operation, fill mixture is placed into the hopper 12. Using thewheels, an individual transports the divot repair device 10 so that thevalve assembly 14 is oriented above the divot to be filled. The operatorselectively opens the valve plate 36 by engaging the trigger 40. Whilethe valve plate 36 remains open, the operator can move the divot repairdevice 10 along the ground so that fill mixture is dispensed into theentire area of the divot up to the desired depth. In the embodimentshown, the amount of valve opening can be controlled by the operator.The operator then transports the divot repair device 10 forwardly awayfrom this divot, and this movement drags the smoother 16 over thedispensed fill mixture so the fill mixture is thereby compacted into thedivot and smoothed. No additional smoothing or tamping is generallyneeded. The device 10 can then be transported, by rolling on wheels 26and 27, to another divot to be repaired in like manner.

FIG. 4 shows an improvement on the device of FIG. 1 by including akickstand 70 pivotally mounted on ears 72 on the side of the hopper 12.Kickstand 70 enables the hopper to stay upright when not being used. Theelevating of the smoother by the stop pins can be seen.

A second embodiment is shown in FIG. 5. Like parts to those of the firstembodiment are similarly numbered, but incremented by 100. The hopper112 is generally cylindrical. The valve assembly 114 is substantiallyupstream of the outlet 122. The valve assembly 114 in this embodiment isa ball flow valve 136. The ball flow valve 136 is selectively operatedby use of a knob 141. Downstream of the valve 136 is a further flow path117 that allows the fill mixture to flow downwardly to a spotimmediately above the divot to be filled. The path 117 has a J tube 118attached at the downstream side of the path 117. A pair of wheels 126and 127 is mounted onto the hopper 112 to allow for transport of thehopper across the ground.

This embodiment is used as follows: the fill mixture is placed into theinlet 120. The hopper 112 is wheeled adjacent to a divot to be filled.The operator dispenses an amount of fill mixture into the path 117 byopening and closing the valve 136. Once the path 117 has sufficient fillmixture, the operator rotates the hopper in a counterclockwisedirection. In this manner, the fill mixture exits from the path 117 intothe divot. Alternatively, the ball valve 136 may be set to be slightlyopen to permit the material to trickle down from the hopper 112 to thepath 117 at a slow rate, comparable to the rate at which divot fillmixture is needed at the outlet 118 to fill a series of divots. That is,if five divots are to be filled per minute, needing a cup of mixtureeach, then a flow rate of five cups per minute at the valve 136 willassume a ready supply for each divot without overfilling.

Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled inthe art upon a reading of the foregoing description. By way of example,while it is preferred that the hopper be wheel mounted and either pulledor pushed, the hopper could be adapted to be transported by some othersuitable carrier. Also, the dispensing valve, while it is preferred tobe a gate valve, could also be a ball flow valve. It should beunderstood that all such modifications and improvements have beendeleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but areproperly within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:
 1. A divot repair device for transporting a mixture of fillmaterial and dispensing the fill material into divots in order to filland thereby fix the divots by promoting turf growth in the location ofthe divots comprising: (a) a hopper for carrying a predetermined mixtureof fill material the hopper having an inlet and an outlet; (b) wheelsjoined to the hopper to enable the hopper to be pushed or pulledmanually by an individual across an area from one divot location to asecond divot location; (c) a dispensing valve connected to the hopperfor selectively dispensing the fill material; and (d) a smootherconnected to the hopper positioned behind the wheeled carrier in anormal direction of travel in such a manner that the smoother contactsand smooths the fill material in the divot after the fill material isdispensed.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 including first andsecond wheels connected on opposite sides of the hopper and a handleconnected to the hopper.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1 whereinthe outlet is located at the lower end of the hopper.
 4. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 further including a removable cover for the inlet.5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the dispensing valveincludes a gate valve which can be selectively opened and closed.
 6. Theapparatus according to claim 5 wherein the dispensing valve includes anexit port located immediately adjacent to the divot location.
 7. Amethod for filling divots that have been created in turf grass, themethod comprising: rolling a hopper over the ground immediately adjacenta divot without contacting the surface of the divot and under humanpower only; targeting the divot to be filled; and dispensing an amountof granular fill material into the divot from the hopper withoutdispensing fill material substantially beyond the divot.
 8. The methodof claim 7 further including smoothing and compacting the fill materiallocated within the divot by further movement of the hopper.
 9. Themethod of claim 7 wherein dispensing includes selectively controlling atrigger to open a valve to release a variable amount of the fillmaterial from the hopper.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the triggeris operable by a hand of an operator.
 11. A divot repair device fortransporting a mixture of granular fill material and dispensing the fillmaterial into divots in order to fill and thereby fix the divots bypromoting turf growth in the location of the divots comprising: (a) ahopper for carrying a predetermined mixture of granular fill material,the hopper mounted on a wheeled carrier adapted to be pushed or pulledmanually by an individual across an area from a first divot location toa second divot location; (b) a valve assembly connected to the hopperfor selectively dispensing the fill material and configured to dispensethe granular fill material; and (c) a dispenser exit for the hopperlocated and configured above the divot locations when the hopper istransported adjacent the divot locations for dispensing the granularfill material into a divot without overfilling whereby the hopper can betransported to a divot, the valve assembly can be actuated to open thedispenser exit, and dispense fill material into a divot to be repaired.12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further including a smootherconnected to the hopper in such a manner that the smoother contacts thefill material in the divot after the fill material is dispensed.
 13. Adivot repair device for transporting a mixture of fill material anddispensing the fill material into divots in order to fill and therebyfix the divots by promoting turf growth in the location of the divotscomprising: (a) a hopper for carrying a predetermined mixture of fillmaterial, the hopper adapted to be transported manually by an individualacross an area from a first divot location to a second divot location;(b) a valve assembly connected to the hopper for selectively dispensingthe fill material; (c) a dispenser exit for the hopper located above thedivot locations when the hopper is transported adjacent the divotlocations; and (d) a smoother connected to the hopper in such a mannerthat the smoother contacts the fill mixture after the fill mixture isdispensed in the divot and including a blade member having a leadingedge and a trailing edge; whereby the hopper can be transported to adivot, the valve assembly can be actuated to open the dispenser exit,and dispense fill material into a divot to be repaired.
 14. A divotrepair tool for repairing divots on golf courses comprising: a wheeledcarriage for movement over the golf course ground from one divot toanother by a user, a granular divot repair material, and a hoppermounted on the wheeled carriage for holding the granular divot repairmaterial, the hopper having an outlet near the ground arranged fortargeting the divot to be filled and selective, controlled dispensing ofthe divot repair material from the hopper to fill a divot near the divotrepair tool, whereby the divot repair tool may be moved by a user fromone divot to another under human power only and the divot repairmaterial may be controllably dispensed from the hopper to a divot to berepaired and the divot repair tool may be moved to another divot on thegolf course for controlled dispensing of divot repair material to theother divot.
 15. An apparatus for fixing divots comprising: a containeradapted to hold and selectively release a granular divot repair mixturetowards a divot needing repair without overfilling; and wheels joined tothe container to permit the container to be rolled over a golf course byhaving a person push or pull the container, whereby an operator can loadmixture into the container, roll the container on a golf course to adivot to be repaired, target the divot to be filled, selectively releasemixture from the container into the divot needing repair, and roll thecontainer to another divot to be repaired.
 16. A divot repair devicecomprising: means for selectively releasing a granular divot repairmaterial towards a divot needing repair without overfilling, and wheelsjoined to the means for selectively releasing a granular divot repairmaterial, whereby the divot repair device may be rolled over a golfcourse by having a person manually push or pull the divot repair device,whereby an operator can load mixture into the releasing means, roll thecontainer on a golf course to a divot to be repaired, target the divotto be filled, selectively release mixture from the releasing means intothe divot needing repair, and roll the container to another divot to berepaired.